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you like SCHOOL in the summertime (TFS&AMP'D COME TO SENSES, SAY AMERICA IS BEST)

I was looking on Facebook recently on my schools graduating year list. I went to two high schools, actually so I looked at both. I was curious to see what my former classmates were up to, you know.

So I painstakingly created a spreadsheet of their current locations.

80% of them are still living in the Chicago and Northwest Indiana area (where we were from). That's crazy. At this point in their life, it's safe to say that they're staying there.

And this was in both the private school that I went to and the public school. The pubic school was in a fairly poor area and most everybody was from working class families. So you might not be too surprised by the 80% but that still seems insanely high to me. But even in the private school where there were people from moderately well-off families, and certainly most everybody was from better off families than the public school, it's still 80%. Crazy.

I mean, if you told me 15 years ago that 80% of the class was going to still be in this crappy area 15 years from now, I wouldn't believe it. I knew I was getting out of there and I suspect that all but the most pessimistic of my classmates also thought they were getting out.

Not so. They're still there in that...well, I think the word "ghetto" is tossed around too freely but it's certainly an economically-depressed area and on a steep decline. And even if they moved to some cow town suburbs around there it's still not remotely impressive.

A few people who managed to get out of there did so through the military. So...well, that's not impressive.

Anyway, only ONE person managed to leave the country. And that person is a certain LearnedHand who currently resides in London, England and has been here for almost half a decade. So I win the game. The high school success game.

My job is also better than possibly everyone's that I saw. But I didn't really chart that so I don't have empirical data for that.

Anyway, yeah. I spent years researching and planning and scheming all in an effort to get out of that hole. My classmates for whatever reason did not. These are the sort of practical lessons that they should be teaching in schools instead of all that nonsense about past participles and ph paper and whatever that you'll never use in your life.

I was looking on Facebook recently on my schools graduating year list. I went to two high schools, actually so I looked at both. I was curious to see what my former classmates were up to, you know.

So I painstakingly created a spreadsheet of their current locations.

80% of them are still living in the Chicago and Northwest Indiana area (where we were from). That's crazy. At this point in their life, it's safe to say that they're staying there.

And this was in both the private school that I went to and the public school. The pubic school was in a fairly poor area and most everybody was from working class families. So you might not be too surprised by the 80% but that still seems insanely high to me. But even in the private school where there were people from moderately well-off families, and certainly most everybody was from better off families than the public school, it's still 80%. Crazy.

I mean, if you told me 15 years ago that 80% of the class was going to still be in this crappy area 15 years from now, I wouldn't believe it. I knew I was getting out of there and I suspect that all but the most pessimistic of my classmates also thought they were getting out.

Not so. They're still there in that...well, I think the word "ghetto" is tossed around too freely but it's certainly an economically-depressed area and on a steep decline. And even if they moved to some cow town suburbs around there it's still not remotely impressive.

A few people who managed to get out of there did so through the military. So...well, that's not impressive.

Anyway, only ONE person managed to leave the country. And that person is a certain LearnedHand who currently resides in London, England and has been here for almost half a decade. So I win the game. The high school success game.

My job is also better than possibly everyone's that I saw. But I didn't really chart that so I don't have empirical data for that.

Anyway, yeah. I spent years researching and planning and scheming all in an effort to get out of that hole. My classmates for whatever reason did not. These are the sort of practical lessons that they should be teaching in schools instead of all that nonsense about past participles and ph paper and whatever that you'll never use in your life.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NK2WX3H A survey that is for my statistics class final project. Gotta get 200 responses, in 24 hours!? Class is structured horribly and the teacher is horrible as well. Anyways, this survey is only 1 question, so do please help me.

Anyway, only ONE person managed to leave the country. And that person is a certain LearnedHand who currently resides in London, England and has been here for almost half a decade. So I win the game. The high school success game.

My job is also better than possibly everyone's that I saw. But I didn't really chart that so I don't have empirical data for that.

And yet these losers didn't spent god knows how long making a stalker spreadsheet. Maybe your victory isn't as complete as you think.

I'm proud of getting out of there, yes. And my hometown is...not a good place.

But just speaking generally, moving away from your hometown is a universal measure of success. See for example, the "Alumni Who Traveled the Least Distance to Get Here" or whatever award that Homer won in that Simpsons school reunion episode. It's well established.

And 80% of the people still living there. This isn't just something for my high schools. It's probably typical of high schools everywhere. I find it very surprising and this is an example of the sort of things people should be taught in high schools. Maybe shock some of them into action. Like that "Scared Straight" special (which has been debunked many times, but I'll still use it as an example) where they take troubled youngsters into prison and some big prisoner takes their shoes.

Some people use that stuff
That's why they teach you different things in high school, because nobody knows what they're going to do with their lives yet

I think by high school unless you're interested in being a scientist or mathematician or something, you shouldn't have to take math or science courses. They're totally useless for most people and only serve to make school a painful and unpleasant experience for those who aren't proficient in those areas.

In any event, more practical things should certainly be taught instead of some of these esoteric pursuits. Doing your taxes, how to get a girlfriend, job interview techniques, typing, cooking, personal hygeine, whatever.

There are classes that teach all those things
It's called Life Skills
It's for remedial kids too dumb to figure those things out on their own and who are probably getting menial labor jobs out of high school